I stole from Home Depot!

Hey, I bean there! And I've always meekly opened my bag and handed them
the receipt to compare...
Next time I might try to just keep walking and when they stop me, in a
loud voice I'll ask, "Are you saying you think I stole something from
your store?!"
In all likelyhood, the kid'll stammer out a "no" and I'll thank them and
again head out to my truck...

They also check everyone's basket, not just spot checks. Therefore, I
don't feel singled out at Costco. Besides, the prices are so good, I'm
not gonna complain about them checking baskets at the exit...
dave

Walmart here in S'toon only checks items that aren't bagged, ie larger
items in the cart. If the checker is right there, I don't mind the 2.5
seconds it takes to smile, say hello, and show her the receipt that has
the item highlighted by the checkout clerk, but if she's busy checking
someone else I just walk out the door (I'm certainly not going to queue
for them) and have never been chased after.

By Thu, 25 May 2006 21:55:56 -0500, "Petrified Woodworker"
"Re: I stole from Home Depot!" to rec.woodworking:

You shop at Megalo Mart for crazy low prices.
Most, if not ALL, goods sold there are from China.
With their tremendous market power, they've driven
higher priced goods made elsewhere in the world
from their shelves.
Other stores that couldn't compete with them have
died out.
I bet you can easily stipulate to the above, eh,
aphorisms.
China produces a tremendous amount of low
priced, low quality goods.
The Chinese Communist party runs China.
The Chinese Military runs the CCP.
Well damn, it's too complicated for you!!
Sorry!!!!!!!
/..

Nope, I walk through Fry's without the receipt check too. They ask to
see my receipt, I say no and keep on walking. Stores like Fry's and
Wal-Mart rely on the fact that most people are sheep and will
mindlessly do whatever someone in a supposed position of authority
tells them to do.
They can no more demand to see your receipt than you can to see the
contents of their pockets. Probable cause requires a lot more than
exercising your legal rights.

this may be true, BUT, chances are if you take something back and
there is no mark on it from the door checker, they're not likely to
allow you to return the material.
Here lately, WalMart has really backed off in our area, they just like
to check the carts that are carrying oversized items that are not
bagged.
personally, i stop, not because i am a sheeple, more to the fact that
stealing affects all of us in the long run.

They can't legally do that either and what's to stop you from going
home and putting on your own highlighter mark? So long as you have a
receipt, they are obligated, under the law, to treat you equally or
they open themselves to a major lawsuit.

Walmart has gotten sued a lot over this, my local store just has an
old guy sitting by the door in case the alarm goes off, they don't
even pretend to check receipts. There is one Walmart that I used to
have to go into to get things for work where the little old lady at
the door would literally chase you out into the parking lot screaching
at the top of her lungs.

If you're not stealing, what difference does it make? And you think
the people who are stealing are going to stop?

You are, quite simply, _wrong_.
There is *lots* of case-law on that point.

"one thousand percent" wrong.

*IF* they have notice prominently posted where you see it upon _entry_ to the
store, they _do_ have the *legal*right* to do so.
They have made it a condition of entry onto the premises -- their _private_
_property_ -- and you have *agreed* to that condition by entering the
premises.
The stores that have gotten "in trouble" over the matter have had trouble
_because_ of 'defects' in the posted notice. e.g. 'not sufficiently visible'.

What case law? I have not seen one sign, anywhere, that advises me that the
store may detain and inspect my property upon completion of the sale and
prior to my exiting the premises. Fry's, Home Depot, Best Buy and Costco
all have lemmings lined up to have their stuff pawed over by a snot nosed
teenager or some menacing guard. Me, I just say excuse me and walk out the
door.
Dave

They can ask, they cannot demand, unless it's something local to
Oregon. Likewise, if you set off their stupid door alarms, you are
not obligated to stop. It is not a sufficient legal reason to detain
you because some clueless checker didn't deactivate the alarm.
The only exception to this are membership stores where you have to be
a member in good standing with a membership card to enter the store.
There, you've signed an agreement to let them do it as a part of your
membership and if you refuse, they have the right to revoke your
membership.

Since you top-posted a post that had been responded to in proper
chronological order, we have no clue as to whether you are agreeing with
the first post or the second. ... and frankly, I'm not interested in
having to wade through some legal link to find out.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
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